Chapter 636 - 504: Golden Core

In the grotto mansion, Ji An also heard the rumbling thunder outside, so close as if it was right overhead.

’Is it going to rain? No, when a cultivator condenses the Golden Core, they can change the celestial phenomena; there’s no chance of dark clouds covering the sky within dozens of miles.’

If he had been born into a major sect in the Nascent Soul Stage, he would surely know what this phenomenon meant.

When a pill becomes first grade, it’s called Immortal; such a tier of Golden Core would incur the jealousy of the heavens!

What happens after the heavens are jealous? Naturally, it sends down thunderbolts.

He also didn’t know that the Thunder Tribulation faced by Immortal Golden Core cultivators far surpassed that of other tiers of Golden Core.

The heavens ruthlessly play with them, the fiercest test, succeeding brings many benefits, failing means death and disappearance.

First-grade Golden Core cultivators consume too much Spiritual Power to advance a small realm, so the Celestial Dao doesn’t like such cultivators, thus imposing more severe tests.

Ji An felt a warning rise in his heart, inexplicably sensing that things were veering off his expected trajectory.

He activated a secret technique, the Five Elements Divine Mansion shimmered, and the energy of the five organs gathered in the Middle Dantian.

The status of Five Qi Chaoyuan formed, immediately creating a mysterious pulling force, the golden pill fruit slowly ascended, leaving the range of the Primordial Life Fire, continuing to rise and fly out of the Dantian.

The instant it left the Dantian, the Golden Core turned into a shadow, slowly yet steadily rising straight up.

The Lower Dantian and the Middle Dantian were on the same central axis, and the destination of the Golden Core shadow was the Middle Dantian.

After becoming a Pill Golden Core Master, a cultivator’s Lower Dantian still had the function of storing Magical Power, the total Magical Power of a Golden Core cultivator is several times that of a Chao Origin Stage cultivator.

The thunder above grew louder, Ji An’s heart rising with urgency, he felt as though thunder would soon fall.

His feeling was not wrong; at this moment, everyone else in the sect clearly saw crimson thunderclouds churning above Sunrise Peak.

Master Yuxiao’s face was ashen, his heart exceedingly anxious, the Thunder Tier was already brewing, but the mark of becoming a Golden Core cultivator, the Dragon’s Roar and Tiger’s Roar, had not yet sounded.

This proved that the disciple’s Golden Core had not yet moved to the Middle Dantian and was not considered a true Golden Core cultivator.

To face the Thunder Tribulation at this time was nearly certain death.

’What on earth changed?’

He wished he could fly up Sunrise Peak to investigate, but the thunderclouds covering the entire peak made him hesitate.

...

The Golden Core shadow finally moved to the Middle Dantian; it materialized from illusion, whirling around, henceforth making the Middle Dantian the primary storage site for Magical Power.

Ji An felt heroic spirit surging in his chest, softly shouting.

On the east side of Sunrise Peak, green light flashed, transforming into a giant dragon.

The giant dragon elegantly swayed its body and then opened its large mouth, a vast dragon’s roar full of rising masculine Divine Intent echoing.

Simultaneously, on the west side of Sunrise Peak, a great tiger emerged from white Spirit Light, letting out a dominant roar as the dragon’s roar sounded.

The Golden Core was achieved, and the dragon and tiger roared, converging wind and clouds in an instant.

Ji An strode towards the entrance of the grotto mansion, knowing that the Thunder Tribulation was about to begin; if he didn’t go out, the thunder would blast the entire grotto mansion into ruins.

He changed hand seals and released two spells: Pan Mountain Technique and Mixed Gold Profound Armor Spell.

The yellow light of Earth Element Magic covered his body surface, while the light of Metal Element Magic merged into his skin.

He then retrieved the Celestial Soaring Armor from the Void Realm Space, activated the spell, and the Spirit Armor burst apart, transforming into numerous armor plates, which then covered his body,

Leg Armor, Chest Armor, Face Armor, not missing a single piece.

With two defense spells, plus the Celestial Soaring Armor and the Daoist Robe, not to mention the Wuji Xinghuang Banner, his defense was maxed out.

He walked out of the grotto mansion and rode the cloud upward; the crimson thunderclouds sank low, unleashing a torrent of thunderbolts.

"Damn, so unfriendly!"

Ji An gritted his teeth; he hadn’t chosen a strictly defensive stance but instead fully activated the Earth-Departing Flame Banner. He aimed to counter attack for attack, offsetting part of the damage before defending.

The Wuji Xinghuang Banner also flew out at this moment, a yellow spirit cloud swirling above his head, materializing endless yellow sand surrounding him, with outer layers rippling into thousands of golden flowers.

Phoenix cries were inconspicuous among the dragon’s roar and tiger’s roar; under his control, the Earth-Departing Flame Banner expanded to its maximum size.

The crimson flag fluttered, Fire Element Spiritual Energy coalescing into a crimson phoenix bird with gold patterns, its long tail feathers composed of four colors: red, yellow, blue, and white, representing the four realms of Fire Element Techniques.

If he could become a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, the phoenix bird’s tail feathers might grow a fifth color—purple.

The giant phoenix bird, several zhang in size, soared skyward, quickly swallowed by crimson thunder, retreating in disarray.

But all this was not in vain; part of the thunder was dissipated.

Ji An released the Fire Dragon Heaven-Burning Technique, a fire dragon roaring into the thunder, quickly annihilated, but likewise weakening the Thunder Tribulation.

At this moment, the Fire Element Thunder Tribulation had descended, red thunderbolts continuously blasting down from the stage cloud.

The heavy Qilin beast’s roar echoed, reverberating through the mountains.

The Wuji Xinghuang Banner fluttered in the wind, golden flowers withering, the thunder piercing through the manifesting yellow sand, striking Ji An’s body.

Having been diminished by layers of Spirit Armor and defense spells, the damage he received was relatively minor, but he still felt a tingling and burning sensation.

The thunder greatly depleted the Wuji Xinghuang Banner, and Ji An needed to continuously infuse it with Magical Power.

Occasionally he had to expose the spiritual artifact to thunder, an inevitable stage in refining a Lifebound Magical Treasure.

Both the Wuji Xinghuang Banner and he had to undergo the Sixth Level Thunder Tribulation to transform into Lifebound Magical Treasures.

Wood Element Spiritual Energy was at a disadvantage against the Fire Element Thunder, otherwise he would also summon the Cyan Lotus Treasure Banner.

An hour later, the crimson thunderclouds dissipated. Ji An exhaled deeply, seized the moment to swallow a few drops of Stone Milk, and then cultivated to refine it.

In the distance, Master Yuxiao paced back and forth, feeling rather anxious.

The disciple’s Thunder Tribulation exceeded both the frequency and duration of his past experiences.

In a certain sense, this was a good thing; the stronger the Thunder Tribulation, the greater the disciple’s potential.

Yet everything has its limits; if the Five Elements Thunder Tribulation was this strong, could the disciple safely overcome the final Chaos Thunder Tribulation?

The Chaos Thunder Tribulation is the integration of the Five Elements, and the combined power is not simply a sum of parts; he was very worried.

....

Ji An still hadn’t adjusted to his optimal state. Barely half an hour had passed when azure brilliance flickered in the sky; the Wood Element Thunder Tribulation was brewing.

He replenished his Defense Magic and summoned three Top Grade Spiritual Artifacts.

Using the Wuji Xinghuang Banner was not a good choice, so he needed to weaken the Thunder Tribulation to a greater extent, clearing obstacles for refining his Lifebound Magical Treasure.

The tribulation clouds grew lower, the rumbling grew stronger and deafening.

Ji An first activated the Cyan Lotus Treasure Banner, creating several thick layers of cyan armor, which was his first layer of defense.

The second layer of defense was the Earth-Departing Flame Banner, which countered attack with attack. The third layer was the Geng Gold Spirit-Slaying Sword Formation, ensuring that not much Wood Element Thunderbolts fall on him.

The Wuji Xinghuang Banner was tempered by the conflicting Thunderbolts, which would also significantly reduce the damage it sustained.

...

After the Wood Element Thunder Tribulation, Ji An successively overcame the Water Element, Metal Element, and Earth Element Thunder Tribulations.

He took out the Black Jade Bottle, tilted his head and poured the remaining Stone Milk into his mouth, only a dozen drops.

He activated the Five Elements Rotation Scripture to refine the Stone Milk, quickly converting it into Magical Power, but his Magical Power recovered only about seventy percent.

If accounting for the Magical Power infused into the Spiritual Artifacts, even less Magical Power would remain.

He couldn’t sit idle; he continued to activate the Cultivation Technique, recovering even a sliver more Magical Power would be good.

At this time, around Sunrise Peak were gathered numerous cultivators of the Golden Spirit Sect, witnessing the sect giving birth to another ancestor, leaving everyone feeling extremely excited.

Even at such distance, everyone could sense the destructive power of the Thunder Power dispersing, leaving most cultivators shocked and fearful.

At this moment, the strong wind blew, but Master Yuxiao stood in the wind, unfazed, gazing at the blurry silhouette of the cultivator above Sunrise Peak, his heart suddenly anxious.

Having already overcome the Five Elements Thunder Tribulation, surpassing the last Chaos Thunder Tribulation would see the birth of the sect’s third Golden Core cultivator.

His heart was filled with apprehension. The Five Elements Thunder Tribulation confirmed his suspicions; the Chaos Thunder Tribulation would be incredibly, incredibly powerful.

Many cultivators had been killed by the Thunder Tribulation after condensing the Golden Core; among them, most fell under the Chaos Thunder Tribulation.

He estimated that the chance of Ji An overcoming the Chaos Thunder Tribulation challenge was only thirty percent, perhaps even less.

’You must hold on!’

He silently cheered for his disciple in his heart; as long as he survived the Chaos Thunder Tribulation, even if heavily injured, he would reap benefits to heal the injuries.

Everything preconditioned on surviving through, after the storm comes the rainbow.

...

Purple tribulation clouds gathered, and the Chaos Thunder Tribulation was brewing.

Ji An no longer ran his Cultivation Technique, solemnly gazed at the sky.

His Spiritual Artifacts were all damaged to varying degrees, casting a shadow over his heart.

Having heard ancestors speak of Thunder Tribulations, he speculated on their severity. Now he understood that his Thunder Tribulation was certainly not an ordinary one.

The Wuji Xinghuang Banner flapped in the wind, with a myriad of golden flowers on the outer layer, yellow sand flying in the middle, and a yellow shell enclosing the inner layer.

Faced with the most powerful Thunder Tribulation, he had to use all his power for defense.

From the sky descended purple Thunderbolts, their dazzling brilliance eclipsing the sun.

There was hardly any room for Ji An to evade; he was engulfed entirely by the Thunderbolts.

It was just one strike that pierced through the defenses of the Wuji Xinghuang Banner, shattered the Celestial Soaring Armor, Pan Mountain Technique, Mixed Gold Profound Armor Spell, Daoist Robe, and the physical defense of a Chao Origin Stage Body Cultivator.

Ji An felt as though he had been hit by a fast-moving train, his body doubtlessly smashing down from mid-air, leaving a human-shaped mark on the hard ground.

He felt his entire skeleton about to crack, bleeding from seven orifices of his mouth, eyes, nose, and ears, his head buzzing like numerous bees were holding a gathering beside his ears.

Not only that, cracks appeared on the Five Elements Divine Mansion, numerous Immortal Veins broke, and he lost sensation in his body.

In the next moment, the purple thunderclouds disappeared, and a phantom of a round moon emerged in the sky, illuminating silver light like a searchlight.

At its center was Ji An, buried in the earth.

The rain, obscured yet fine, seemed to fall, piercing through the Celestial Soaring Armor and all barriers, blending into his body.

Snowflakes floated in the Sea of Consciousness, nourishing and strengthening the Spirit Soul, while the cracks on the Five Elements Divine Talisman grew smaller, eventually vanishing entirely.

The broken Immortal Veins rapidly healed, reconnecting; if not for the bloodstains on the ground, Ji An might think the injuries were an illusion.

The Wuji Xinghuang Banner, Earth-Departing Flame Banner, and Cyan Lotus Treasure Banner floated in the air, their surfaces waving, quickly healing damages; the silver raindrops had an effect on them too.

Ji An struggled to rise from the ground, upon seeing the Qilin pattern on the surface of the Wuji Xinghuang Banner growing brighter, the next moment transforming into a real Qilin Beast.

Its thick, steady roar spread everywhere, inexplicably calming Ji An’s mind; the successful transformation signified the completion of refining his Lifebound Magical Treasure.

Master Yuxiao was ecstatic, for the round moon was a gift from the Celestial Dao, signifying the disciple’s successful breakthrough, truly becoming a Golden Core cultivator.